Saturday, May 06, 2006

When the Wood Thrush Sings

Image: Wood Thrush, in the public domain from USFWS

I walked the forest on the muted light of an early May morn to see what nature had to offer on this new day. The freshness of the deciduous foliage mottled by sprinkles of radiance from the sun peaking through the branches and stippled with beads of dew would be enough to enlighten the soul.

Enticed by the hauntingly beautiful song of the wood thrush, like rats to the Pied Pipers tune, I followed the methodic timbre to its source and my eyes were as delighted as my ears when I spotted my wonderful feathered friend perched on the limb of a maple singing as if only for me. I slowly lowered myself to the ground, my back against a large white pine, and enjoyed his melodious performance until he moved on and only then did I move too.

"That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, lest you should think he never could recapture the first fine careless rapture!" -Robert Browning

The forest floor in these woods is adorned with a lush carpet of creeping cedar and bejeweled, at this time, by the pink lady’s slipper. As I make my way back to my Blue Ridge Mountain home, not far through the woods, I relive the precious moments spent with the wood thrush and know, that come evening, he will sing for me again as I relax in my garden to his stunning song!

The wood thrush holds a special place in my heart and I am always elated with their return to our woods in spring. I will take pleasure in their song until late summer or early autumn, when they leave to winter in the lowland tropical forests of southern Mexico and Central America, and anxiously await their return next year.

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